Various technical specifications define the way in which network functions and services are deployed and managed by network operators and service providers worldwide. For example, specifications define the use of virtualized platforms to deliver services and, oftentimes, components within a service may be “chained” together. Such technical specifications include, for example, the European Telecommunication Standards Institute's standard for Network Functions Virtualization (ETSI NFV). In some circumstances, operators may require the ability to run various network functions in an unmodified manner. In a virtualized environment, doing so may entail allowing network function vendors to run existing workloads on a virtualized platform, which often translates into security requirements that all inter-platform communications are untrusted (e.g., in distributed deployments implementations). However, executing sensitive inter-virtual network function (VNF) and inter-VNF component (VNFC) communication over unprotected networks may lead to unauthorized data snooping, data alteration, data duplication, network routing, privacy breaches, and/or other security concerns.